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Posted on: July 19, 2018

City of New Rochelle Unveils Original Sculptures by Charles & Heather Fazzino

Today, world-renowned 3D pop artist Charles Fazzino and his daughter Heather Fazzino joined New Rochelle City Officials and the City’s Municipal Arts Commission to unveil two original sculptures on a plaza in Downtown New Rochelle. The 100-lb, seven-foot-tall 3D pop-art pieces will merge New Rochelle’s past and future in the letters NRNY, celebrating all that is old and new in a City undergoing a rapid transformation as a result of its $4 billion redevelopment initiative.

“We are thrilled to contribute original pieces to New Rochelle’s burgeoning art scene,” said Charles Fazzino. “These sculptures, which reflect New Rochelle’s rich history and bright future, hold special significance to my family as our studio is located here. We are seeing firsthand the transformation New Rochelle is undergoing, and it’s exciting to be a part of this change.”

Charles Fazzino’s piece pays homage to the rich artistic history of New Rochelle through the inclusion of homegrown characters, such as Mighty Mouse and Woody Woodpecker, and iconic American artist Norman Rockwell. By contrast, Heather Fazzino’s edgy street art style views New Rochelle’s history through a modern lens that captures the energy of the City’s creative future.

“New Rochelle understands the significant role public art plays in shaping a city’s culture and aesthetic appeal,” said New Rochelle Mayor Noam. “The Fazzino sculptures will be located at one of our most active downtown intersections, demonstrating our commitment to incorporating art and culture into the daily lives of residents, businesses and visitors alike.”

The new sculptures are part of a project entitled “Stacked!” spearheaded by New Rochelle’s Municipal Arts Commission and Department of Development. The project put out an open request to artists throughout the country to design 3D fiberglass statues of the city’s “Ideally Yours” logo. These fifteen new NRNY statues will replace the City’s fleur-de-lis statues throughout the downtown.

The NRNY Fazzino sculptures are located in downtown New Rochelle at the corner of North Avenue and Huguenot Street.

“The Fazzinos’ NRNY sculptures are ideal additions to our downtown as we continue to focus on incorporating the arts as part of our downtown redevelopment initiative” said Development Commissioner Luiz Aragon. “Introducing such visually impressive pieces from leading artists creates a vibrant, welcoming downtown where the public has the opportunity to interact with art on a daily basis.”

Charles and Heather Fazzinos’ NRNY pieces will join the work of the winning artists from a selection of thirteen finalists, whose sculptures will be revealed this fall.

Also debuting in the City will be the launch of the free Otocast audio narration app, which offers an interactive digital experience through self-guided audio tours. The audio guide will allow end users to hear directly from Charles and Heather Fazzino about their pieces. The Fazzino pieces will be joined by the remaining thirteen finalists in the near future, allowing the public to enjoy the NRNY Stacked sculptures in a new and unique way. Otocast has a global art tourism audience with over 150 guides covering 2,500 points of interest.

New Rochelle’s unprecedented redevelopment initiative, which launched in 2015 with the signing of a Master Developer agreement with RXR Realty, allows for more than 12 million square feet of new construction including up to 2.4 million square feet of prime office space, one million square feet of retail, 6,370 housing units and 1,200 hotel rooms. On the residential side alone, more than 2,500 residential units are already underway.

As part of the initiative, the City has focused on embracing the arts through establishing an Arts & Cultural District, designed to be a regional mecca for artists and innovators. The creative district will build on New Rochelle’s energetic arts scene by promoting a stable supply of performance space and affordable artist live/work spaces in combination with activities and events to draw in new audiences.

In addition to New Rochelle, Charles Fazzino’s unique 3-D pop art work can be seen on permanent display in JFK airport and at museums and art galleries around the world. Visit www.fazzino.com to see the entire collection.